Shower hoop for play yards



2' Sheefs-Sheet 1` Feb. 23, 1965 E. MAYHEw ETAL l SHOWER HOOP FOR PLAYYARDS .Fi-led oct. a, 1962 www s ,NMJwm 5M 4 w 2 ...MM l f, n M Tl/ Feb.423, 1965 .1., rE. MAYHEW ETAL 3,170,171

sfowER mm 'FOR PLAY xmms .Filed 'om is., :w62 2 sheets-sheet 2 UnitedStates Patent O 3,170,171 SHQWER H001 FOR PLAY YARDS Lawrence E. Mayhewand Marian J. Mayhew, both of 16205 Salisbury Road, Independence, Mo.Filed Get. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 229,008 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-145) Thisinvention relates to shower devices, and Vmore particularly to portableshower equipment especially for use in play areas of lawns and the like.

It has long been evident that outdoor shower baths are particularlyrefreshing in hot weather due to the temperature of the water andevaporation thereof when sprayed into the air for enjoyment of childrenand their desire to play in the spray from lawn sprinklers and the like.However, heretofore, equipment for such shower baths has been in fixedlocation or, if portable, merely lawnsprinklers or otherwise improviseddevices which create hazards of injury from `persons running into orotherwise coming into engagement with the equipment which is usually ofmetal and relatively immovable. Also, when such devices are located inxed areas,

3,170,171 Patented Feb. `23, 1965 ICC with broken lines indicating thedirection of sprays from the spray hoop.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view through the base and hoopin erected position taken on the line 3 3, FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 isa greatly enlarged partial sectional view through the base andportion of the hoop to illustrate the retaining structure thereof.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the hoopparticularly showing the spray openings therein.

Referring more in detail to the drawings: p

The reference numeral 1V generally designates a portable shower bathapparatus that generally consists of a base member 2 and-a shower hoop 3with a connection 4 for a source of water supply, as for example a hose5, for delivering water to the hoop 3 to be sprayed therefrom as laterdescribed.

soggy soil develops, and those devices that are not freely i portablefor moving to various areas of a yard can result in damage to lawns andthe like.

The principal objects of the presentl invention are to provide improvedapparatus for play yard shower baths; to provide a shower bath apparatusthat is particularly adapted for use in play yards andthe like andincluding a base member with a spray hoop positioned thereon andnormally arranged in upright relation thereto; to provide such a showerdevice wherein the base member has oppositely inclined ramps upon whicha personV may move in passing through the spray hoop with said hoophaving spray discharge openings for directing sprays generally in thedirection of the path of a person moving over the ramps and through thehoop; to provide such a structure wherein the hoop is separably andmovably connected to the base whereby theidevice can be easily assembledand disassembled for shipping and storage with relative Vsmall spacerequirements and when erected the hoop member may be swung toward thebase member in response to forces applied against said hoop, as forexample a child running into same; to provide such a structure adaptedto be made of durable lightweight material such as plastics with allexposed portions formed on contours to reduce possibility of injury by aperson coming into contact with the parts thereof; to provide such ashower device wherein the base member has an upwardly opening groove andthe hoop member is tubular and has an arcuate portion with spaced endsterminating in laterally spaced downwardly extending legs connected by ahorizontal portion adapted to` be received in the transverse groove ofthe basemember for pivotal movement relative thereto with meansretaining the horizontal portion of the hoop member in frictionalengagement with the surfaces of the groove in the base member wherebythe hoop member will remain in selected position until forcibly moved;and to provide a portable lightweight shower bath apparatus that iseconomical to manufacture, easily erected and moved to various locationsand that will provide healthy entertainment for persons without dangerof injury.

The foregoing objects and advantages of this invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration andexample certain embodiments of'this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shower bath apparatus lembodying thefeatures of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side lelevation of the shower apparatus The base member maybe of any suitable material but is preferably molded of synthetic resinin a structure i to provide strength yet lightness in weight. The basemember includes laterally spaced side walls 6 with oppositely inclinedupper portions connected by oppositely inclined top walls 7 and 8 thatextend from ends 9 and 1@ respectively upwardly to a center portion 11having a substantially fiat upper surface 12. It is preferred thatsuitable transverse ribs 13 depend from the inclined top walls 7 and 8and also from the center portion 11 and haveA lower surfaces 14 in thesame plane as the bottomedges V15 of the side walls and the bottomsurfaces 16 at the outer ends vof the inclined top walls 7 and 8, alladapted to rest upon the ground or the like in supporting relation tothe base and alsoV provide stiffness tothe base for added strength. Y

The hoop. member 3 is preferably separably supported on the baseimemberand adapted for swinging movement relative thereto in response to forceapplied to the hoop member. In the structure illustrated, `the centralportion 11 of the base member has a thickened portionand there is anupwardly opening groove 17 Vformed in said central portion, said grooveextending transversely ofthe base member for the entire width thereofand adapted to receive a portion of the hoop member 3 therein. In'thestructure illustrated, the hoop member is formed of a tubular member 1Shaving an axial bore 19 with the lower portion of the hoop being asubstantially straight horizontal or bottom portion 20 having acylindrical periphery and received in the groove 17. The-ends of thehorizontalportion are preferably turned upwardly to form spacedpreferably parallelV legs 21 and 22 with the upper ends of the legsbeing'connected byV an arcuate portion 23 wherein the hoop defines agenerally keyhole shape, the hoop having a height fromthe base wherebywhen the hoop is upright a child orV other person'for which theapparatus is adapted can runrthr'ough the open-z. ing in the hoop. It'Vis preferred that thehoop be formed of-a single piece ofrnaterial withthe ends of the tubular member connected to a fitting 24A having theconnection 4 thereon. ,It is also preferred that the hoop member be madeyof a suitable `plastic and may be. extruded or otherwise vformed andthen shaped to the `desired contour with said plastic havingsomeflexibility and resiliency but sufficient rigidity to normally-retainits shape. -.While the hoop member 3 is shown `defining a generallykeyhole frictional engagement therewith whereby the hoop member willremain in selected positions until forcibly moved.

in the structure illustrated, the groove 17 has lesser depth than thediameter of the tubular member 1S and clamp blocks 25 extend across the`groove adjacent the sides of the base member and have downwardlyopening grooves 26 to engage the upper surface of the horizontal portion2G of the hoop member. Fastening devices such as bolts 27 are engagedwith the clamp members 2S and extend through apertures 28 in the centralportion 11 of the base member on opposed sides of the groove 17. It ispreferred that some resiliency be arranged in the assembly to maintain africtional engagement between the clamp members 25, the hoop member andthe surface of the groove 17, and springs could be arranged on thefastening devices. However, with the parts being made of synthetic resinhaving some flexibility, the resiliency is in the material of the basemember, hoop member and clamp members whereby nuts such as wing nuts 29are screwed on threaded ends 30 of the bolts 27 and moved intoengagement with the lowerk surface 31 of the center portion 11 to drawthe clamp members 25 into desired engagement with the tubular memberportion to hold same in the groove 17.

It is preferred that the entire tubular member have spray dischargeopenings 32 spaced therealong and arranged t'o discharge generally onopposite sides of the hoop member. It is preferred that the apertures orspray openings 32 in the arcuate portion 23 be arranged to spraygenerally toward a point on the axis of the arcuate portion and spacedfrom the hoop to form opposed cone-shaped sprays as at 33 in FIG. 2. Thespray discharge openings in the legs 21 and 22 preferably spraygenerally horizontally outwardly as at 34 toward the approaches to theends 9 and 16 of the ramps 7 and 8 respectively. The spray openings inthe horizontal portion 2t) of the hoop member preferably spray upwardlyand outwardly as at 35 in FIG. 2. All of the spray openings in the hoopmember are preferably arranged whereby they spray generally toward theapproaching path of a person who would move on the ramps and through thehoop.

The structure of the shower bath apparatus is such that it can beshipped substantially knocked down and requires little space forstorage. In erecting the apparatus, the clamp members are removed, thehoop member is arranged with the horizontal portion 20 placed in thegr-oove 17, and then the clamp members 2.5 are arranged wherein thebolts 27 extend through the openings 28 and the clamp members moved downagainst the horizontal portion 20 of the hoop member 3. The nut's 29 arethen tightened to draw the clamp members down and apply a frictionalclamping action on the portion 20 of the hoop member to cause said hoopto normally tend to remain in selected position relative to the basemember 2. The shower bath can then be easily carried to a desired placeof use, the hoop member swung to an upright position as illustrated inFIG. 1, and the connection 4 connected to a hose 5. The water can thenbe turned on and the spray will provide enjoyment as well as coolrefreshing entertainment. The upper surfaces of the ramps 7 and 8preferably have grooves 36 extending transversely of the ramps orotherwise provided with anti-skid portions to reduce possibility of aperson slipping thereon. Edges are rounded or contoured to eliminate anysharp edges or portions that could tend to cut or otherwise injure aperson. If a person should run into the hoop, it would swing downwardlyand the movement thereof would reduce the force of the impact of theperson, thereby substantially eliminating possibility of injury throughcontact of the person with parts of the apparatus.

It is to be understood that while We have illustrated and described oneform of our invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form orarrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as suchlimitations are included in the claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A portable play yard shower bath device comprising,

(a) a base,

(b) a tubular hoop member having a bottom portion with ends extendingouwardly of said base and terminating at its ends in upwardly extendingconnected side members,

(c) means pivotally mounting the bottom portion of the hoop member onthe base whereby said side members are outwardly of the base permittingselective swinging movement of said hoop member toward the base, saidpivotally mounting means having engagement with said bottom portion tonormally retain the hoop in selected position,

(d) said hoop member having a water supply connection thereto,

(e) and spray discharge openings spaced along the length of said hoopmember and arranged to spray water generally toward a line normal tosaid hoop member.

2. A portable play yard shower bath device comprising,

(a) a base having a center portion and downwardly inclined ramp portionsextending therefrom,

(b) a tubular hoop member having a bottom portion with ends extendingfrom the base and terminating at said ends in upwardly extendingconnected side inembers,

(c) means pivotally mounting the bottom portion of the hoop member on ahorizontal axis transversely of the central portion of the base wherebythe side members are outwardly of the base member permitting selectiveswinging movement of said hoop member toward said base, said pivotallymounting means having engagement with said bottom portion to normallyretain the hoop in selected position,

(d) said hoop member having a water supply connecion thereto,

(e) and spray discharge openings spaced along the length of said hoopmember and arranged to spray water generally toward a line normal tosaid hoop member.

3. A portable play yard shower bath device as specified in claim 2wherein the ramp portions have grooved upper faces to provide anti-skidsurfaces thereon.

4. A portable play yard shower bath device comprising,

(a) a base having a center portion and downwardly inclined ramp portionsextending therefrom,

(b) a tubular hoop member having a horizontal portion terminating at itsends in upwardly extending connected side members,

(c) means pivotally mounting the horizontal portion of the hoop memberon the central portion of the base transversely of the direction of theramps with the side members and the base associated to permit selectiveswinging movement of said hoop member toward the ramps, said pivotallymounting means having engagement with said bottom portion to normallyretain the hoop in selected position,

(d) said hoop member having a water supply connection thereto,

(e) and spray discharge openings spaced along the length of said hoopmember and arranged to spray water generally in the direction of thepath over the ramps.

5. A portable play yard shower bath device as specified in claim 4wherein the side members of the hoop member are spaced outwardly fromsides of the base member.

6. A portable play yard shower bath device comprising,

(a) a base having a center portion and downwardly inclined ramp portionsextending therefrom,

(b) a tubular hoop member having a horizontal portion extendingtransversely of the base with ends outwardly from the sides of the basemember, said hoop member having sides extending from the ends of thehorizontal portion with said sides connected by an arcuate portionspaced upwardly from the base member yto dene an opening through which aperson may pass in moving over the ramps,

(c) clamp members on the base member in engagement with the horizontalportion of the hoop member and cooperating with the base member topivotally mount said hoop member for swinging movement about ahorizontal portion axis,

(d) means connected to said base and clamp members to tighten saidclampmembers against said hoop portion to resist swinging movement thereofand thereby retain same in selected position',

(e) and means in a side portion of the hoop member for connection with asource of water supply,

(f) said hoop member having spray discharge openings spaced along thelength thereof and arrangedto spray water generally in the direction ofthe path over said ramps.

'7, A portable play yard shower bath device comprising,

(a) a base having a center portion and downwardly inclined ramp portionsextending therefrom,

(b) an upwardly opening groove in said central portion of the base andextending transversely thereof,

(c) a tubular hoop member having a horizontal portion positioned in theupwardly opening groove in the center portion of the base member, saidhorizon` tal portion of the hoop member having ends extending outwardlyof said groove in the base member and terminating in side portionsextending therefrom and onnected by an arcuate portion spaced upwardlyfrom the base member to define an opening through which a person maypass in moving over the ramps,

(d) clamp members on the base member extending across the groove thereinin engagement with the horizontal portion of the hoop member in saidgroove and cooperating with said base member to pivotally mount the hoopVmember for swinging movement about a horizontal portion axis,

(e) means connected to said base and clamp members to tighten said clampmembers against said horizontal portion of the hoop portion tofrictionally retain same in selected position and permit swingingmovement of the hloop member when struck or forced toward the rampportions,

(f) and means in a side portion of the hoop member for connection with asource ofv water supply,

l(g) said hoop member having spray discharge openings spaced along thelength thereof and arranged to spray water generally in the direction ofthe path over said ramps.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS790,005 SmelSeI May 16, 1905 V870,766 Eaton NOV. l2, 1907 876,631 GoffJan. 14, 1908 1,184,644 Heaps et al. May 23, 1916 1,343,892 Bagnulo June22, 1920 `1,767,560 Snyder June 24, 1930 1,866,009 Claypoole July 5,1932 2,684,658 Richardson et al July 27, 1954

1. A PORTABLE PLAY YARD SHOWER BATH DEVICE COMPRISING (A) A BASE, (B) ATUBULAR HOOP MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM PORTION WITH ENDS EXTENDINGOUTWARDLY OF SAID BASE AND TERMINATING AT ITS ENDS IN UPWARDLY EXTENDINGCONNECTED SIDE MEMBERS, (C) MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING THE BOTTOM PORTIONOF THE HOOP MEMBER ON THE BASE WHEREBY SAID SIDE MEMBERS ARE OUTWARDLYOF THE BASE PERMITTING SELECTIVE SWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID HOOP MEMBERTOWARD THE BASE, SAID PIVOTALLY MOUNTING MEANS HAVING ENGAGEMENT WITHSAID BOTTOM PORTION TO NORMALLY RETAIN THE HOOP IN SELECTED POSITION,(D) SAID HOOP IN SELECTED POSITION, TION THERETO, (E) AND SPRAYDISCHARGE OPENINGS SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID HOOP MEMBER ANDARRANGED TO SPRAY WATER GENERALLY TOWARD A LINE NORMAL TO SAID HOOPMEMBER.